That bit of waiting did me the world of good…
The other day I was waiting for a bus so that I could get to a certain destination. Now, it is not often these days that I am required to wait for public transport because I must admit that I spend most of my life driving myself to all the place to which I wish to go. But on this particular occasion, I was completely at the mercy of the bus timetable.
While I was waiting, I got news that the bus was stuck in traffic and would be late. And so, I had an extra long wait ahead of me.
Luckily for me I was prepared with my laptop and my portable WiFi connection and I could simply get to work at the bus stop as though waiting at a bus stop was a normal part of my everyday routine.
And I have been thinking about that today. You see, that wait would have been such a waste of time and also incredibly frustrating if the waiting were serving no purpose. If instead of getting some work done, I was unable to do anything other than sit still and wait, I would have found myself incredibly annoyed and felt the waste of time a terrible nuisance. As it was, the time spent waiting was a very productive time and I managed to get a couple of key tasks ticked off my To Do list, which meant that I was able to get onto that bus when it finally arrived, happy and ready for the next stage of my day.
And I have been reflecting on how this is so similar to this Earthly life. You see, this Earthly life is nothing more than a wait at a bus stop for the bus to bring me to the eternal resting place of Heaven. And just as I waited the other day with a laptop in hand so that I could make my waiting time useful, so too should I spend my life on Earth waiting in such a way as to be useful and prepared for my eternal life.
And just as one can be caught up in the bus ride itself, so too can one become caught up in Earthly life. But instead of fixating on the bus and the waiting for it, it is the destination that has made the bus ride even worthwhile in the first place. And I have been thinking about that too. You see, this life time serves NO purpose other than to get us ready for Heaven eternal. All the clothes and shoes and entertainment and work and money and wealth and stuff… All of that stuff is worthless to us if it is not helping us merit eternal salvation.
And I have been thinking about that today, as I think about that bus ride. Because it seems to me that on that day, that bit of waiting did me the world of good…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.